css-modules
CSS Modules enable locally-scoped styling by automatically generating unique class names at build time, preventing style conflicts across components. Use this skill when building complex components that require true encapsulation, migrating legacy CSS, styling third-party components, or implementing sophisticated animations. Vite provides built-in CSS Modules support, and TypeScript integration is available through plugins like typed-css-modules for type-safe class references.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/MadAppGang/claude-code /tmp/css-modules && cp -r /tmp/css-modules/plugins/dev/skills/frontend/css-modules ~/.claude/skills/css-modulesSKILL.md
# CSS Modules
## Overview
CSS Modules provide locally-scoped CSS by automatically generating unique class names at build time. This prevents style conflicts and enables true component encapsulation.
## When to Use CSS Modules
| Use Case | CSS Modules | Tailwind |
|----------|-------------|----------|
| Complex animations | Best | Good |
| Third-party component styling | Best | Harder |
| Legacy CSS migration | Best | Refactor needed |
| Rapid prototyping | Slower | Best |
| Design system utilities | Not ideal | Best |
| Component encapsulation | Best | N/A |
| Team with CSS expertise | Best | Either |
**Hybrid Approach**: Use both together - Tailwind for utilities, CSS Modules for complex components.
---
## Documentation Index
### Vite Integration
| Topic | URL | Description |
|-------|-----|-------------|
| CSS Modules in Vite | https://vite.dev/guide/features#css-modules | Vite's built-in support |
| Lightning CSS | https://vite.dev/guide/features#lightning-css | Fast CSS transforms |
| PostCSS | https://vite.dev/guide/features#postcss | PostCSS configuration |
### Lightning CSS
| Topic | URL | Description |
|-------|-----|-------------|
| Documentation | https://lightningcss.dev/docs.html | Official docs |
| CSS Modules | https://lightningcss.dev/css-modules.html | Module support |
| Transpilation | https://lightningcss.dev/transpilation.html | Browser targeting |
| Bundling | https://lightningcss.dev/bundling.html | CSS bundling |
### CSS Modules Spec
| Topic | URL | Description |
|-------|-----|-------------|
| CSS Modules | https://github.com/css-modules/css-modules | Specification |
| Composition | https://github.com/css-modules/css-modules#composition | Composing classes |
| Scoping | https://github.com/css-modules/css-modules#naming | Local vs global |
### TypeScript Integration
| Topic | URL | Description |
|-------|-----|-------------|
| typed-css-modules | https://github.com/Quramy/typed-css-modules | Generate .d.ts files |
| vite-plugin-css-modules-dts | https://github.com/mrcjkb/vite-plugin-css-modules-dts | Vite plugin |
---
## CSS Modules Fundamentals
### File Naming Convention
```
src/
├── components/
│ ├── Button/
│ │ ├── Button.tsx
│ │ ├── Button.module.css # CSS Module
│ │ └── Button.test.tsx
│ └── Card/
│ ├── Card.tsx
│ ├── Card.module.css # CSS Module
│ └── index.ts
```
Files ending in `.module.css` are automatically processed as CSS Modules.
### Basic Usage
```css
/* Button.module.css */
.button {
padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
border-radius: 0.375rem;
font-weight: 500;
transition: background-color 150ms ease;
}
.primary {
background-color: hsl(221, 83%, 53%);
color: white;
}
.primary:hover {
background-color: hsl(224, 76%, 48%);
}
.secondary {
background-color: hsl(0, 0%, 96%);
color: hsl(0, 0%, 9%);
}
```
```tsx
// Button.tsx
import styles from './Button.module.css'
interface ButtonProps {
variant?: 'primary' | 'secondary'
children: React.ReactNode
}
export function Button({ variant = 'primary', children }: ButtonProps) {
return (
<button className={`${styles.button} ${styles[variant]}`}>
{children}
</button>
)
}
```
### Generated Class Names
```html
<!-- Input -->
<button class="${styles.button} ${styles.primary}">
<!-- Output (generated) -->
<button class="Button_button_x7d9f Button_primary_a3k2j">
```
### Local vs Global Scope
```css
/* Local by default */
.button {
/* Generates: Button_button_hash */
}
/* Explicit local */
:local(.button) {
/* Same as above */
}
/* Global (escape hatch) */
:global(.external-library-class) {
/* Kept as-is: .external-library-class */
}
/* Global within local */
.card :global(.markdown-body) {
/* Scoped parent, global child */
}
```
---
## Composition
### composes Keyword
Share styles between classes:
```css
/* base.module.css */
.flexCenter {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
}
.interactive {
cursor: pointer;
transition: all 150ms ease;
}
```
```css
/* Button.module.css */
.button {
composes: flexCenter from './base.module.css';
composes: interactive from './base.module.css';
padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
}
```
### Multiple Compositions
```css
.primaryButton {
composes: button;
composes: primary from './colors.module.css';
composes: rounded from './shapes.module.css';
}
```
### Usage in React
```tsx
// Composed class automatically includes all composed classes
<button className={styles.primaryButton}>
{/* Renders: Button_primaryButton_x Button_button_y colors_primary_z shapes_rounded_w */}
</button>
```
---
## Vite Configuration
### Lightning CSS (Recommended)
Lightning CSS is 100x faster than PostCSS for transforms:
```bash
npm install lightningcss browserslist
```
```typescript
// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react'
import browserslistToTargets from 'lightningcss/browserslist'
import browserslist from 'browserslist'
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [react()],
css: {
transformer: 'lightningcss',
lightningcss: {
targets: browserslistToTargets(browserslist('>= 0.25%')),
cssModules: {
// Class name pattern
pattern: '[name]__[local]_[hash:5]',
// Or for production:
// pattern: '[hash:8]'
}
}
},
build: {
cssMinify: 'lightningcss'
}
})
```
### Class Name Patterns
| Pattern | Example Output |
|---------|----------------|
| `[name]__[local]_[hash:5]` | `Button__primary_a3k2j` |
| `[local]_[hash:8]` | `primary_a3k2j9x1` |
| `[hash:8]` | `a3k2j9x1` (production) |
### Lightning CSS Features (Included)
Lightning CSS automatically handles:
- Vendor prefixing (replaces autoprefixer)
- Modern syntax transpilation
- Nesting
- Custom media queries
- Color functions (oklch, lab, lch)
### PostCSS Configuration (When Needed)
For plugins Lightning CSS doesn't support:
```javascript
// postcss.config.js
export default {
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